Illini takeaways

Bet on Beckman? The question of coach Tim Beckman's job security has been a topic throughout the season. If athletic director Mike Thomas fires him, he will have let go two coaches who led the Illini to bowl games during 6-6 seasons. He fired Ron Zook in 2011 before the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

O'Toole time: QB Reilly O'Toole said he was never directly told he had won the starting job, but it became clear late in the week during practices as he earned more reps than Wes Lunt. In the last two games, O'Toole has passed for 304 yards and four touchdowns while completing 66 percent of his passes.

Running men: After rushing for a Big Ten-worst 101.3 yards per game through the first 11 games, Illinois racked up a season-high 291 yards on 47 carries. Josh Ferguson had just five carries for 9 yards last weekend against Penn State, but he rushed for 95 yards on 15 carries Saturday. O'Toole led the way with 147 yards on the ground, and Donovonn Young added 51 yards on nine carries.

Kicking woes continue: A week after kicking a game-winning field goal, David Reisner was yanked for Taylor Zalewski during the Northwestern game. A 36-yard attempt was blocked and Reisner missed a point-after attempt.